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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Worried I will end up in prison!

298 replies

isitfree · 29/12/2021 21:17

I bought a house 3 years ago and did not receive an electric bill so after 5 months I got in touch with the company the previous owners said they had, turned out no electric company had ever had anyone with an account at my address. It is a private new build and has never been registered as receiving an electric supply. I then found out the council did not know the house existed and no council tax had been paid in the previous 10 years that the original owners had it!
I have managed to register with the council now and the person who rates the properties came out to value it for council tax. HOWEVER I can not get any electricity company to register us for an account.
The electric is coming from somewhere but no bill has been paid for 13 years!!! I even phoned the national grid and was told "oh dear, the previous owners have really dropped you in it" What the hell do I do?

OP posts:
L0bstersLass · 30/12/2021 12:20

@slashlover

Also, if the company do realise, as well as only paying back a year, the bill MUST be for the cheapest tariff(s) for that time. They can't just bill you at the standard rate, even though that's easiest for them.
@slashlover - is this definitely correct? I'm in a similar situation. My electricity provider hasn't provided me with a bill for over 2 years despite taking my direct debit payment monthly. My account shows as over £1k in credit with them. Where can I find it documented that they're only allowed to charge me for the cheapest tariff for the time period? I'd love to have that information to hand. Thanks.
BoredZelda · 30/12/2021 12:20

The previous owners WERE the original builders, he built it himself with his brother and dad. They have vanished!

I really don’t want to add to your woes, but given the council tax situation, you might want to check these guys also had the correct planning permissions…..

Warszawa · 30/12/2021 12:24

I work in the industry - you need what is called an mpan number which you then need to give to a supplier of your choice.

No one can bill you for the previous usage as no one can claim to have a valid reference number to use - pm me if you need any advice

bagofconkers · 30/12/2021 12:24

@BoredZelda

The previous owners WERE the original builders, he built it himself with his brother and dad. They have vanished!

I really don’t want to add to your woes, but given the council tax situation, you might want to check these guys also had the correct planning permissions…..

^^ This. Red flags all over this situation!
Gastonia · 30/12/2021 12:32

The previous owners WERE the original builders
I would worry they had tapped into some electricity supply illegally, such as from a street lamp. Grin

Gemster19 · 30/12/2021 12:34

@HaggisBurger

I’m laughing that some pp’s think that it is a conveyancing solicitor’s job to VERIFY that when a vendor writes “Scottish Power” as the electricity provider on their property information form, that is indeed correct. Hilarious!!
A decent conveyancer should have verified that there were no potential debts associated with the property to prevent future potential liability issues for the OP - that would have picked up both the electricity and CTax issues, and they then could have required a retainer from the seller to cover any historic bills that might have arrived when the OP registered.
debwong · 30/12/2021 12:35

@DeepaBeesKit

Get an electric car and get charging it OP.
Or buy a fleet of electric taxis and start serving the local area.
Darkstar4855 · 30/12/2021 12:36

This happened to us. We contacted a new supplier saying we wanted to switch to them, shortly after switching the (massive) bill came in from the old supplier who miraculously remembered that we existed! Luckily we could prove when we bought the house so weren’t liable for the electricity used before that date.

Original poster
isitfree · 30/12/2021 12:41

@BoredZelda

The previous owners WERE the original builders, he built it himself with his brother and dad. They have vanished!

I really don’t want to add to your woes, but given the council tax situation, you might want to check these guys also had the correct planning permissions…..

Yes all been checked and all correct.
OP posts:
Original poster
isitfree · 30/12/2021 12:43

@Warszawa

I work in the industry - you need what is called an mpan number which you then need to give to a supplier of your choice.

No one can bill you for the previous usage as no one can claim to have a valid reference number to use - pm me if you need any advice

You are absolutely correct. I think I am getting somewhere at last. thank you
OP posts:
Original poster
isitfree · 30/12/2021 12:49

BIG UPDATE !!!

After all this time, I have just received a call from someone who knows what they are talking about. I will be provided with an MPAN number and when I receive it I have to give a meter reading and will only be charged from that meter reading to the next reading. So basically starting my reading from zero. It looks like I have another month of free electric first.

OP posts:
saleorbouy · 30/12/2021 12:49

Record all your correspondence with the companies and the nonchalant responses from the supply companies.
As PP have said put some money aside monthly into an account or ISA so that you can make some payment on request.
I think if you presented your attempts to pay and set up an account and the replies from the electricity Companies then you have good grounds to be let off any payment demands.
If they are disinterested in your persistent attempts to set up a payment account its not your fault.
I had an issue with a water meter in a new property and didn't get a bill for 2 years, in the end I offered to pay half and the company accepted.

Warszawa · 30/12/2021 13:04

My advice would have been to not chase it up lol as I said no one can bill you without that number - free power and gas, I've known some people to have free power for 15/20 years. It's not stealing as it's a mistake with the national database.

Council tax completely different matter though.

Tee20x · 30/12/2021 13:06

You won't go to prison. You've contacted all the right people and have tried to do the right thing.

Free electricity for you (woo) for now!

What was the councils response when you managed to register with them? Did they ask any questions about the previous owners?

Franca123 · 30/12/2021 13:06

I once had a mess up on our energy bills due to company getting mixed up about meters in a block of flat. I tried hard to rectify. After a couple of years, they paid me compensation for the hassle they'd put me through and I hadn't paid any bills in a couple of years. Keep q record of your attempts. Attempt maybe once or twice a year. Pop 100 in an account every month. Bonkers.

Russelhobskettle · 30/12/2021 13:10

I love it when people post without checking for updates Hmm

ShinyHappyPoster · 30/12/2021 13:11

I see the previous owner said ScottishPower, are you in Scotland? If so have you tried contacting ScottishPower Energy Networks (not ScottishPower who issues the bills). Use the details from this website SP Energy Networks
Tell them you have an unregistered supply and they should be able to pass you to the correct department.
It is a nightmare to fix and contacting them doesn't mean it will get resolved but that should be your starting point.

ShinyHappyPoster · 30/12/2021 13:12

Cross-post with your update! Hurrah! It sounds as though they're going to start fixing it.

Original poster
isitfree · 30/12/2021 13:14

BIG UPDATE !!!

After all this time, I have just received a call from someone who knows what they are talking about. I will be provided with an MPAN number and when I receive it I have to give a meter reading and will only be charged from that meter reading to the next reading. So basically starting my reading from zero. It looks like I have another month of free electric first as they say it will take 28 days.

OP posts:
Moraxella · 30/12/2021 13:21

Can we all come over and charge our bits and bobs before they do 🤣

PGSTesting123 · 30/12/2021 13:27

The national grid person is an idoit, ignore them

Keep a log of all action taken

Get a solicitor to write to national grid only

Do nothing

When a bill appears pay only a years worth

My relatives live an old house and haven't paid utility bills in over 50 years
They don't care because their solicitor sent a letter and still nothing happened
But they have proof they tried their best

Recently I had £5k wiped off by an electricity company as they were getting the normal and low wrong despite me telling them over and over again
When they finally sorted it I refused to pay
It only took one 'No, I will not pay you' and they caved

FutureExH · 30/12/2021 13:46

Well, you're not going to go to prison.

If you bought the house though, you'll probably want to raise the matter with the solicitor who performed the transaction!

Needmoresleep · 30/12/2021 13:51

I had something similar at a holiday rental property. I gave readings for the gas meter labelled with my flats number for years. Then one day I noticed that the bills had a different meter number. The meters for two flats in the block had been switched.

The new neighbours had noticed and were happy racking up large useage and using readings from my meter (which because it was a hoiday let was empty for much of the winter.)

I wrote several times to Bulb, my very helpful utility supplier, but they got no traction from the people who actually run the grid. Finally they suggested that I make a formal complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. Blub did not dispute anything I bsaid, the ruling was in my favour and I got an apology and about £100 and was told to keep using the readings from the same meter even though they still seemed unable to get the meter number asigned to my address changed.

All the paperwork was then there for when we came to sell the flat. (And by then the neighbours had changed and the new ones also worked to get their side sorted. They did not want to be landed with a historic bill.)

So Ombudsman.

MimosaFields · 30/12/2021 13:53

When I last spoke to my electricity company, I accidentally gave them the meter reading for my neighbour. They came back to me saying something along the lines "sorry, but meter 12345 is not ours. We checked in the national database and it is from XYZ company". That made me think there's some sort of national meters database. Have you asked that question? does your meter have any sort of branding?

FlouncingBabooshka · 30/12/2021 14:19

Tempting as it might be to follow the advice from several PP’s to just sit back and enjoy your free energy, my big worry would be what happens if you suffer a major power cut? How would you get reconnected without a supplier?

I would do as @travellinglighter recommends OP - she clearly knows what she’s talking about.

Hope you get it resolved.